Life Brings Many Surprises
by TashaLezchickx3
Summary: Kris and Junior are married and begin their life together. Junior unwillingly goes back to being in business with his father. Danny and Matt find themselves rekindling an old romance. Jace comes back to town with a big surprise for his little sister and also her husband. A troubled teen shows up in Fremont and Kris befriends her. [Rated T because I'm paranoid.]
1. Back To Business

_**Life Brings Many Surprises**_  
**Back To Business**

**Danielle Davis Equine Center; Monday June 2, 2008. 6:00 PM.**

Dani Davis walks into the clinic and heads into her office. She sits down and sighs as she picks up some papers she had forgotten to file the other day. She's reading through the papers when her cell goes off. She picks it up and sees Matt Ritter's name on the screen. She sighs and presses decline.

It's been a week since her feelings for Matt came rushing back and she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do about them yet. Her and Matt have tried the whole dating thing before and it never ended well. Her phone goes off again, but this time Junior Davis' name is on the screen. She smiles and answers.

"Hey big brother. How's the honeymoon going?"

_"Oh it's fantastic. How are things with you?"_

"Fine. What makes you ask?"

_"Well, I've been talking to Matt an-"_

Dani sighs. "Junior, please don't."

_"Don't what, Dani?"_

"You know what, Junior. I don't want to talk about me and Matt. There actually isn't even a me and Matt."

_"So I've been told. I just don't get it. Before we left, you guys seemed to be heading in that direction."_

"Yeah well things changed. Hey shouldn't you be with your wife?"

_"Nice subject change. She's in the shower. Look Dani, I just want you to be happy."_

"Who says I'm not?"

_"Hey maybe you are."_

"Yeah, I am. You don't have to worry about me Junior. Just go and enjoy the last night of your honeymoon."

_"Alright, fine. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Dani."_

Dani smiles. "Bye Junior." She hangs up the phone and goes back to the papers on her desk.

Things at the clinic weren't exactly going all that well since Noah left. She had been closed for a few days untill she could find a new doctor and she is scheduled to get her tomorrow so she has a few things she needs to take care of before she comes. She gets up and puts the papers in the filing cabinet and then locks up and heads home.

**Raintree Thoroughbred Farm; 6:34 PM.**

Matt Ritter finishes cleaning the stalls in the barn. He walks over to the office and checks his phone. No calls, well none from Dani. He heads back in the house and walks into the livingroom. When he walks in, he finds his mom, Jean, and her boyfriend, Pablo Betart, kissing on the couch.

"Geez, mom!"

Jean and Pablo break apart. "Hi Matty."

"Yeah, hi mom. Pablo."

"Matt." Pablo nods.

Matt holds up his hand and heads into the kitchen. Jean walks in after him. "It's just gonna take me a while to get used to you two. And even then, it's so not cool to see your mom making out."

Jean laughs. "Sorry. I thought you were going to see Dani?"

"I was. I mean, I called her but she didn't answer." Matt shrugs. "She's probably busy at the clinic. That new vet comes tomorrow so."

"How are things with you and Dani?"

"I don't know. I mean I thought things were ok, they were last week. But then after Kris and Junior's wedding, she just seems" He pauses for a second. "Distant. I don't know."

"Well I'm sure things will work out Matty. So the newlyweds come home tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah. I talked to Junior earlier and that's what he said."

"Kris and Junior are married. Things are definitely changing around here. You still doing ok with it?"

"Honestly, I always knew Kris and Junior would end up together. And I guess I kind of knew that Dani was the one for me, just got a little sidetracked for a while I guess."

"Well I just want you to be happy Matty."

"I know mom."

Jean smiles and walks out of the kitchen.

**Fiji; 10:15 PM.**

Kris Furillo-Davis walks out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel. She looks over at her husband sitting on the bed and smiles.

Junior gets off the bed and walks over to his wife. "That was a pretty long shower there, Mrs. Davis."

Kris grins. "I didn't think it was to long."

"Believe me, it was long." Junior smirks and pulls her close and kisses her. She wraps her arms around his neck and deepens this kiss. "I don't think there's any rush for you to get dressed." He kisses her again.

Kris lets out a soft moan. "I don't think there is either." She smirks and pushes him back towards the bed.

**11:45 AM.**

Kris wakes up the next morning and feels the bed empty next to her. She groans and sits up and looks around the room. She hears the shower going. She smiles and gets out of bed and gets dressed. She walks over to the window and hears the shower shut off. Junior walks out of the bathroom and walks over behind Kris and wraps his arms around her waist. He kisses her cheek.

"Good morning wife."

Kris smiles. "Good morning husband." She sighs. "I can't believe we're leaving today."

"Yeah, I know. But duty calls I guess."

"I guess. But I still don't want to leave."

"But we have to."

"I know." She turns around and puts her arms around his neck and kisses him. "We should probably start packing then, huh?" She scrunched her nose.

"Probably." He gives her a quick kiss and turns to get dressed.

Kriss walks over and begins packing her bag. "So, did you talk to Dani?"

"Yeah, I called her yesterday while you were in the shower. She seemed fine. I tried asking about her and Matt, but she didn't want to talk about it."

"I totally thought they would be together by now. I mean they seemed that way at the wedding."

He shrugs, walks over and starts to help her pack. "Matt and Dani have always been complicated. They'll work things out."

"Hope so."

**Davis Mansion; Tuesday June 3, 2008. 7:00 AM.**

Dani finishes getting ready for the day and heads downstairs. Her father, Ken, is sitting in the kitchen drinking his coffee and reading the paper.

"Morning daddy." She walks over and pours herself a cup.

"Morning Dani." He says with his eyes never leaving the paper.

"Junior and Kris get home today."

"Oh, that's right."

Dani walks over to the island and sits down next to her father. She takes a sip and places her cup down and turns to face him. "Daddy don't you think it's about time you stop being-" She pauses trying to find the right word. "Immature." She finally says.

Ken scoffs. "Immature?"

Dani sighs. "Daddy, Kris is a part of the family now. And she makes Junior happy. Honestly the happiest I've ever seen him. You need to except that. You're little boy's all grown up and is starting a family of his own."

He takes a sip of his own coffee. "It's only a matter of time before your brother realizes he made a huge mistake. He should've married Laura."

"Why? Because she's a senators daughter? Junior wasn't happy with her."

"He was before that girl came back to town."

"No, he wasn't. He acted that way, but he really wasn't."

"I thought you didn't like her anyway?"

"I didn't but then I got to know her. Just promise you'll behave yourself when they get home."

"I believe I'm the parent here."

"Maybe but you're acting like the child. But I have to go get to the clinic. The new vet gets there today." She gets up from the chair and gives her father a kiss on the cheek. "Bye daddy." She walks out the door and gets into her car.

**Danielle Davis Equine Center; 7:45 AM.**

When she arrives at the clinic, she sees Matt sitting in his truck. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and gets out of the car. She walks over to his truck and knocks on the window. Matt jumps a little then rolls down he window.

"Dani, hey."

"Hey Matt. What are doing here?"

Matt opens the door and climbs out of his truck. "I wanted to talk to you. And you don't really answer my phone calls so-"

"I've been really busy. I-I can't talk right now either. The new vet's coming today and I have to make sure everything's all set and-"

Matt stops her by kissing her. "Dani, please."

"I-I'm sorry, Matt. I have to go." Dani pulls away and rushes inside. She heads back to her office and falls down on her chair. She puts her head in her hands and sighs. She stands up and walks out of he office and into the back room. She does a quick inventory of everything to make sure everything's stocked up. When she's satisfied, she heads into the main are just in time for the new vet to walk in.

"Danielle Davis?" The woman asks, holding out her hand.

Dani takes her hand and shakes it. "Please, call me Dani. Dr. Goldstein, right?"

"Yes. This is quite a lovely place you got here."

"Thank you. I have been closed for a while after N- left. But I do have some clients that plan on coming back once we get settled. So would you like me to show you to your office?" Dani smiles.

**San Jose National Airport; 10:30 AM.**

Junior and Kris get off the plane and find Dani waiting for them. Dani squeals when she sees them and runs over, pulling Kris into a hug first.

"Welcome home! I missed you!"

Kris smiles. "I missed you too."

Dani lets go of Kris and then hugs her brother. "And I guess I missed you too."

"Oh gee, thanks Dani." Junior laughs.

Dani pulls back. "So, how was Fiji?"

"Amazing." Kris says. "I didn't want to leave."

"Well I'm glad you did. I mean, unless you're not going to help out at the clinic."

"I thought it was closed? Wait, did you finally hire a new vet?"

"Yeah. She started today."

"That's great. And of course I'm going to help out."

"Good. And what about you, Junior?"

"What about me?"

Dani shrugs. "Well I mean you passed on that job in Alaska, so what are you going to do? Go back working for dad?"

"Uh, no actually. Me and Calvin might actually start working on something else."

"Really? Like what?"

"I don't know."

"I'm sure dad will just love that."

Junior shrugs. "Honestly, I don't really care what dad thinks."

"Well then I guess things are definitely changing around here."

Junior puts his arm around Kris' waist. "It sure is." He gives her a quick kiss and they walk out to the car and head home.

**Kris and Junior's Home; Wednesday June 4, 2008. 12:35 PM.**

Kris and Junior moved into the guest house on the Davis Farm. Junior's dad barely spoke to them when they came home. Kris knows that Ken Davis would probably never except her as a part of his family, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and get him to come around. Junior keeps telling her it's hopeless, but she's not giving up.

Kris is finishing setting everything up when she hears a car pull up. She walks over to the window, thinking it's just Junior, but is surprised when she sees her brother, Jace, get out of the car. She rushes to the door and throws it open.

"Jace?"

"Hey sis."

"Oh my god!" Kris runs over and throws her arms around his neck. "What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't come and congratulate my little sister on getting married?"

Kris grins and hugs him again. "It's been what, a year?"

"Maybe 2. No but really, congrats. Although I am a little disappointed I wasn't invited."

Kris smiles. "Hey it was all last minute, literally. I had a race and Junior was supposed to be heading to Alaska for a year. He gave up the job and put together the wedding in only like 5 hours. It was crazy."

"Well I'm happy for you. So, where is your husband?"

"He went to his friend Calvin's. He'll be back soon. Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. I actually have some news for you."

"Oh? What on earth could it be?" She chuckles. They head inside. "Do you want a drink or anything?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Dani opens the door and walks in. "Hey Kris who's ca-" She stops when she sees Jace. "Oh, hi. You're Jace, right? Kris' brother?"

"That's me."

"Last time I saw you, you were stealing my brother's car."

Jace smiles. "And you were gonna have me arrested."

"So I was. And now we're family." She smirks.

"So we are."

Kris can't help but let out a small giggle. "So Dani, how's Dr. Goldstein doing?"

"Oh she's awesome. And when are you coming back to the clinic?"

"Uh, I think I can come tomorrow."

"Great, see you then." Dani starts to head out but Kris stops her.

"Hey wait. I, uh, talked to Matt yesterday."

Dani sighs. "You too, huh? I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told my brother, I'm not gonna talk about me and Matt."

Kris puts her hands up defensively. "Hey I just want you both to be happy. And you two did seem real happy at the wedding so-"

"Things with Matt and me, they were always so complicated. I don't think I want to go down that road again."

Kris bites her lip and sighs. "Fine, I'll stay out of it."

"Thank you." She turns and heads out the door.

Kris sits down at the table across from Jace. He smiles. "She's almost how I remember her. And I didn't steal the car, I borrowed it."

"Yeah, without permission. I think that's technically stealing."

"Technically." He points his finger. "But I did give it back."

Kris laughs. "So, what's this news you have for me?"

Jace smiles. "Well, I kind of met someone."

"How is this news? You're always meeting, 'someone'."

"No, I mean I met someone. Possibly 'the one' someone."

"O-Oh my god, are you serious?"

"Yeah. I mean we've only been seeing each other for like a month, but I don't know. She really is something."

"Well she'd have to be for you to be with the same girl for a month." Kris smirks.

"Hey, I've done relationships before." Kris raises her eyebrow. "Ok, ok. Maybe I haven't."

"Wow. So, what's she like?"

"She's amazing. I think you'd really like her."

"Well I can't wait to meet her."

"Meet who?" Junior come into the house.

Kris gets up and walks over to him and gives him a quick kiss. "Hi." She smiles.

He smiles back. "Hi."

"You remember my brother Jace, right?"

Junior looks over at Jace. "Yeah." Jace gets up and walks over to Junior and Kris. They shake hands. "You stole my car last time you were here."

"technically I borrowed it. I brought it back."

"So you did. But hey, that's in the past now, right?"

"Yeah. I mean hey, we're family now."

Kris smiles and clear her throat. "So Jace was actually just telling me about his girlfriend."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Can't wait to meet the girl that got him to consider settling down."

"Oh come on, you make it sound like I'm not that serious with relationships."

"How many girls have you actually dated? And I mean for longer than a week?"

"Ok fine, I get you're point."

Kris laughs. "So when can I meet her?"

"How's tomorrow?"

"Great. Why don't you come here?"

"Sounds good. I'll let her know. I should probably get going." He gives Kris a hug and kisses her on the cheek. "See you tomorrow." He puts his hand up at Junior. "Later bro." He walks out and drives off.

**Davis Mansion; 9:20 PM.**

Dani pulls up to the house and finds Matt sitting outside on the step. She gets out of the car and sighs. Matt sees her walking up and stands up.

"Hey Dani."

"Matt, I can't ta-"

"No. Dani I'm not leaving untill you talk to me."

"What is there to talk about?"

"Us?"

"Matt-"

"I just don't get it, Dani. I mean one minute everything's great, and the next you're avoiding me."

"Matt, we've tried the whole relationship thing before. A few times, actually. And it always seemed to end badly."

"So you're scared?"

"No. I-I mean, maybe. I don't know. I just don't think it's a good idea. I've been hurt a lot and I don't want to get hurt again Matt. So, I'm sorry but I think we should just stay friends."

"I know I've hurt you before but believe me I'm not going to do that again. I love you, Dani."

"Don't. Please Matt, I just want to be friends. That's all I can handle right now."

"I can't just be friends, Dani."

"I'm sorry." She pushes past him and walks inside.

**Davis Farm; 11:45 PM.**

The horses are all in their stalls and the farm is quite. A girl around 16 comes running past the Davis farm away from cops. She dives behind the barn and watches the cop car as it pulls into the farm and stops. The cops get out of the car and look around for a few minutes. They head back to the car and drive off.

The girls waits for them to disappear and then walks out from behind the barn. She glances around and decides to head into the barn. She walks past a few stalls untill she comes to the office. She tries the door and finds it unlocked. She looks around and heads inside.

"I've slept in worse places." She says to herself and puts her bag down on the floor and lays down on the couch and falls asleep.

**Davis Farm; Thursday June 5, 2008. 7:15 AM.**

The next morning Kris wakes up around 7. She takes a shower and gets dressed for the day. She looks over at Junior, still sound asleep and smiles before heading out to the barn. She starts to head towards Wildfire's stall when she notices the office door open. She opens the door and walks in. She notices the bag and the sleeping girl on the couch. She stands in front of the couch, crosses her arms and clears her throat. The girl groans and rolls over. She opens her eyes and falls off the couch.

"Uh, hi there." Kris says, her arms still crossed.

"H-Hi. I'm sorry. The, um, the door was open." She stands up and point towards the door.

"So you just came in?"

"I'm sorry. I just- I needed a place to crash. I was running from the cops and found this place and-" The girl sighs. "I really am sorry. I-I'll just go." She grabs her bag, puts it over her shoulder and starts to head out.

"Wait a second. What's your name?"

"T-Tasha Aleszczyk. Well Natasha but I hate that. "

"I don't like my full name either. Kristine." She scrunched her nose. "I go by Kris." She smiles. "So why were you running from the cops?"

Tasha shrugs. "I was with some friends and we were all looking for a place to crash and we kind of broke into this old factory. Must've still had an alarm set up or something."

"Does your mom and dad know where you are?"

"Well I never knew my dad, he bailed when I was a kid. And my mom's either always working or getting high to even notice when I'm not there."

"Oh. Well I totally get it."

"You? Seriously, you live in a place like this. How do you get it?"

"I didn't grow up here, are you kidding me? No my life wasn't too different than yours, actually."

"Really? So how'd you get to live here? If me asking is ok. Y-You don't really have to tell me."

Kris smiles. "It's fine. Like I said, my life wasn't much different than yours. I grew up in New York, the ghetto part. I rebelled alot and my mom was always in and out of rehab. I got caught stealing a car and I resisted arrest so I was sent to Camp LaGrange. And then I got into horses and was offered a job at a farm, not this one but the one down the road a bit. Raintree. I met the guy that lives here and we kind of had a complicated relationship, but we just recently got married."

"So now you pretty much have a perfect life?"

Kris chuckles. "I wouldn't say perfect, but I guess so. And I owe it all to my friend Pablo. He's the one who got me my job a Raintree."

"So you're into horses?"

"Yeah, I am. I actually race them. I'm a Jockey."

"No way, really?"

"Yeah. Do you want to see my horse?"

"Sure."

"Come on." Kris walks out of the office and Tasha follows. She stops in front of Wildfire's stall and opens it. They walk inside. "His names Wildfire and he's the first horse I ever rode. He's also my best friend."

"And you race him?"

"Well, not anymore. Actually, I'm not sure. He had an injury and he might be done with racing. We still need to get him checked out."

"He's beautiful."

Kris smiles. "You into horses?"

Tasha shrugs. "I don't know, maybe."

"So, are you hungry?"

"Oh, I-I don't want to impose on you or anything. I really should go."

"Come on. When's the last time you ate something?" She raises her eyebrow.

"O-Ok."

Kris smiles. She kisses Wildfire on his cheek. "I'll be back, buddy." She walks out and heads to the guest house, Tasha following. Kris opens the door and finds Junior sitting at the table. He gets up and walks over to her and gives her a quick kiss.

"Visiting Wildfire already?"

"He hasn't seen me for a whole week, he missed me. You know he's not used to sharing me with other guys."

"Well he's gonna have to learn." Kris giggles and then Tasha clears her throat. Junior looks over Kris' shoulder at her. "Uh, hi." He looks at Kris. "Who's this?"

"Oh, right. Junior this is Tasha. Tasha, this is my husband Junior Davis."

"Hi." Junior smiles.

"Hi." Tasha says and waves her hand quickly.

"I, uh, actually found Tasha sleeping in the office in the barn this morning. I was just offering her some breakfast."

"But I don't have to say, really. I-I can go."

"Oh don't be silly." Kris says.

"Yeah, you can stay." Junior says. "I actually was going to head over to Calvin's for a bit. What time was your brother coming over with his mystery girl?"

"I don't know. I'll give him a call."

"Ok. I'll see you later, Mrs. Davis." He smirks and gives her a kiss.

"Bye Mr. Davis." She giggles as he walks out the door. She turns to Tasha. "So, anything particular you want?"

"Just whatever." She shrugs.

**Kris and Junior's Home; 1:25 PM.**

Kris had called Dani and told her about Tasha. Dani knocks in the door once and walks in.

"Hey so where's the stowaway?"

Kris chuckles. "She's out in the barn with Wildfire."

"So she really slept in the barn?"

"Yeah, I was going to see Wildfire this morning and she was in the office. She said she was running from the cops."

"Wait, what? Kris, don't you think maybe it's not such a good idea if she's here?"

"Dani you didn't hear how her life's like. It's exactly like mine was growing up. Her dad bailed and her mom's never there for her, and when she is she's high. I hated growing up that way, but I did have Jace. She doesn't have anybody."

"So you see yourself in her, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. I just know how hard my life was like untill I met Pablo and came here. Maybe she just needs someone to push her in the right direction like Pablo did with me."

"I get it. So, what exactly do you want to do? Take her in? Because you and Junior just got married and I don't think-"

"I just think she needs some place to stay."

"You really think my dad would let her stay in the mansion?"

"No, are you kidding?"

"Then what's your other option?"

Just then there's a knock on the door and Kris smiles. "Why don't you get that?"

Dani raises her eyebrow curiously but opens the door. She sees Matt standing on the other side and shoots Kris a glare.

"Oh, hi Dani."

"Hey Matt." Dani steps aside and lets Matt in.

"So, where is she?"

"Out in the barn. I'll go grab her." Kris walks towards the door.

Dani sighs and turns towards Matt. Matt clears his throat. "Look Dani, I'm sorry about last night. Maybe it wasn't fair of me to do that, but I just want you to know how much I love you and want to be with."

"Matt-"

"No, let me finish. But if what you really want is to just be friends, then that's what I'll do. Because I can't not have you in my life."

Dani goes to say something when Kris and Tasha come inside. She gives Matt a quick smile. "Tasha this is my sister-in-law Dani, and my friend Matt Ritter. Guys this is Tasha."

"Hi." Tasha says. "So, am I supposed to stay with one of you or something?"

"Only if you want to." Matt says. "We have an extra room at our house and it's yours if you want it."

Tasha looks from Kris to Matt. "You really don't need to do that."

"You can't just keep sleeping wherever you end up at the end of the night." Kris says.

"Kris is right." Dani says. "And the Ritter's are really amazing people." She catches Matt's eye and gives him a quick smile.

Matt smiles back at Dani. "Like I said, you don't have to stay. But I think it'd be better if you did."

Tasha bites her lip and looks from Kris to Matt to Dani. "Maybe for a little while." She smiles.

"Great." Matt says.

"Dani, why don't you go help Matt get Tasha settled?" Kris asks.

"Uh, I actually think I need to get to the clinic."

"My brother's coming over soon so I can't exactly go."

She glances sideways at Matt and bites her lip. "I guess the clinic can wait."

Dani and Matt walk out and Tasha follows. Kris turns and goes to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water. Junior comes inside.

"Hey babe. So I see you got Dani and Matt taking Tasha someplace. Together?"

Kris shrugs. "Jace is coming over soon so I can't exactly leave."

"Oh, I see what you're doing."

"What?"

"Hey, I'm glad you're doing it. Those two really need to work things out."

Kris chuckles. "I know." Kris hears a car pull up. "That must be Jace." Kris and Junior walk outside. She smiles when she sees Jace get out of the car. He walks over to the other side and opens the door for his girlfriend. Kris' smile fades when the girl gets out of the car. She looks up at Junior and sees the same expression on his face.

"Oh my god." Kris and Junior whisper at the same time.


	2. Well This Is Awkward

_**Life Brings Many Surprises  
**_**Well This Is Awkward.**

**Kris and Junior's Home; Thursday June 5, 2008. 1:45 PM.**

Jace and his girlfriend walk over to Kris and Junior. Kris forces a smile on her face and she gives her brother a hug.

"Hey."

Jace kisses her cheek. "Hey sis." He nods at Junior. "Hey bro." He grabs his girlfriends hand. "Kris, this is my girlfriend Laura Nickels. Laura, this is my sister Kris and her husband Junior."

Laura puts on a fake smile. "H-Husband? W-Wow. I guess I should say congrats."

Junior puts his arm around her waist and smiles. Kris does the same. Jace looks from Laura to his sister and her husband. "You, uh, guys know each other?"

"Oh we've met." Kris says, forcing another smile. "But, um, h-how did you guys meet?"

"Well I ended up back in New York and I went back to work with the boys a-" Kris raises her eyebrow and clears her throat. "It's not like the old days Kris. It was all legit."

"Uh-huh."

"Like I said, I was back in New York and after work me and the boys went to that diner I took you to all the time."

"The one right across the street from that park?"

"Yeah, well when we were leaving, I kind of knocked her on the ground. And it was actually raining so she got soaked. I felt really bad so I bought her some clothes so she could change into something dry."

Laura looks up at Jace and smiles. "I kept telling him he didn't have to."

Jace shrugs. "We saw each other everyday after that untill she left which was a couple weeks ago. And then I heard about you and Junior getting married so of course I had to come back here. Actually, I'm thinking of moving here."

"What?" Kris and Laura ask at the same time.

"Yeah. I mean New York is pretty far away. I want to be close to my girls." Kris smiles and Laura gives Jace a kiss.

"Well it'll be great to have you around." Junior says.

Jace smiles and pulls Laura close to him. Kris puts on a smile.

**Ritter Household. 2:00 PM.**

Matt and Dani showed Tasha upstairs to Todd's old room. Matt opens the door and gestures Tasha inside, him and Dani follow.

"So, uh, this was my little brother's room but he's actually away at school."

Tasha walks around the room and then sits on the bed. "It's nice." She shrugs.

Dani smiles. "So, um, why exactly were you running from the cops last night?" Tasha bites her lip. "It's ok. I won't tell, promise."

"Me and my friends broke into some old factory to sleep." She shrugs.

"Wow. Well you don't really need to do that anymore. I-Is that all the stuff you have?" She points at Tasha's bag.

"Yeah."

"You need more than that. Why don't I take you shopping?"

"Oh, you really don't have to do that. I'm fine. Besides, you've done so much already."

"You sure? Cause it's not problem at all."

"I'm good. But thank you, Dani. You too Matt. You didn't have to do this. I totally owe you guys."

"It was my pleasure, really." Matt says. "Why don't you get settled. If you need anything, feel free to ask either me or Dani or Kris."

Matt and Dani turn to walk out of the room. "You guys are a really cute couple, by the way."

Matt hides his smile and Dani bites her lip and then smiles. "Thank you." Matt looks at Dani, surprised. He sees her smiling at him and returns it. They head downstairs and walk out to the practice track. Dani leans on the fence.

Matt clears her throat. "Why didn't you tell Tasha we weren't a couple?"

"I-I don't know." She shrugs.

"Hmm. So, she really does seem like a good kid."

"Yeah, she does. She's a little rough around the edges, but she'll come around."

"Sound like anyone we know?"

Dani chuckles. "She does remind me of Kris a bit."

"Yeah." Dani brushes her hand against his. He clears his throat. "So, didn't you say you had to go to the clinic?"

"R-Right. I did say that." She gives him a quick smile and turns to leave. Matt watches her walk away. She stops halfway to her car and then turns around. She walks back up to Matt and before he can say anything she crashes her lips to his. Matt smiles into the kiss and pulls her close. Dani bites her lip when they break apart. "I, uh, I really should go now." She turns and walk back to her car.

**Kris and Junior's Home. 8:45 PM.**

Kris walks out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel. Junior's sitting on the bed watching TV.

"Oh my god. How crazy was today? My brother and Laura?"

"I know. Totally insane."

Kris shakes her head. "Laura's gonna be my sister-in-law." She slumps down on the bed.

"Oh come on, they've only been together what, a month tops?"

"You don't know Jace. He's never been in a relationship with someone for more than like, a week. Actually not even a week, like 3 days."

"I think you're jumping to conclusions."

"No, I'm not. When he told me he met someone, he said she was like 'the one' someone."

"That still doesn't mean anything."

"Maybe coming from someone else, but Jace." She sighs. "I know my brother, Junior. He's always kept the girls away from his precious little sister. Trust me, him wanting me to meet her, it's very serious. And she totally hates me."

"I-I wouldn't say that."

"No? I'm just the reason that you guys broke up."

"Yeah. I guess you got a point. Are you going to tell Jace?"

Kris sighs. "I don't know."

"He just might hate me a little more."

"Oh please, he doesn't hate you."

"Do I have to remind you what happened the last time he was here?"

"To be fair, we weren't exactly in the best place. I mean, you punched me in the face."

"Hey, I was aiming for Matt! And I apologized."

"Yeah well, he is very protective of me."

"So I noticed."

"I feel like he should know. But maybe he does know? She could've told him." Kris sighs. "You know, maybe I'll just wait and see if he brings it up."

"Maybe that's what's best?"

"Yeah, maybe." She gets off the bed and Junior grabs her arm.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I have to get dressed."

Junior kneels up on the bed and wraps his arms around her waist. "I don't think there's any need for that yet." He smirks and crashes his lips to hers. She wraps her arms around her neck and pulls him closer, deeping the kiss. Junior moves his hands and lets her towel fall to the floor.

**Nickelson Mansion; 9:25 PM.**

Jace pulls up to Laura's house. Laura smiles at him and gives him a quick kiss.

"I still can't believe that Kris is your sister."

"Yeah. Um, h-how do you know her and Junior anyway?"

"Well, um, I was actually, involved with Junior."

"Involved?"

"We almost got married."

"O-Oh. How long ago was this?"

Laura bites her lip. "A few months ago."

"A-A few months? W-Wow. So what, am I just like some rebound?"

"No, no. Baby it's not like that. Yes, when Junior called off the wedding because he was still in love with Kris, it did hurt me a lot. But I realized that he was never going to be over her and honestly I don't think I really loved him. He was just someone my father thought was absolutely perfect for me, but honestly he wasn't. "

"Oh, and who is? A guy like me?"

Laura smiles. "Yeah." She leans over and kisses him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Personally I wouldn't call me perfect. My past isn't all that great."

"When are you gonna tell me about your past? You and Kris seem really close."

Jace smiles. "Yeah, well I pretty much raised her. Her mom was always in and out of rehab and our dad bailed when she was only like 2 months old. Kris is the most important person in the world to me."

"That was Kris' past, not yours."

"Like I said, she's a big part of my life." He shrugs. "And when my dad bailed on Kris, he bailed on me to. I was 10, but when your parents bail on you it does affect you a bit."

"Well it's your dads loss because you are so amazing." She smiles and gives him a kiss.

"Thanks for saying that."

"It's true." She gives him another quick kiss. "I should probably get inside. See you tomorrow?"

Jace smiles and gives her a quick kiss. "Tomorrow."

Laura climbs out of the car and walks inside. She closes the door and smiles.

"Hey sweetheart. You're home."

"Hi daddy."

"Out with that boyfriend of yours?"

"Yes, daddy. And his name is Jace."

"Right. When am I going to get to meet this man."

"Soon, I promise. It's just that he lived in New York and I lived here so I wasn't exactly sure how serious it could get." She smiles. "But he's moving out here now so I don't know, maybe we will get pretty serious."

"Well I would really like to meet him."

"And you will." She kisses him on the cheek. "Night daddy."

**Raintree Thoroughbred Farms; 11:45 PM.**

Tasha walks down the steps from the house and walks over to the barn. She looks into a few stalls at the horses. Most of them are laying down but she sees one stick it's head out so she walks over. She reads the name on the stall and looks up at the horse.

"So, your names Flame?" She smiles and pets his forehead. "That's an interesting name. Mines Tasha. I'm not so sure why these people all want to help me, I'm just a kid. A troubled kid as my teachers say. I don't deserve all these people being nice to me." Flame bobs his head and neighs. Tasha giggles. "Oh, you're gonna be nice to me too." Flame neighs again. "Well, I just don't know what I'm doing here. I don't belong in a place like this." She smiles at Flame and pets the side of his face. "You're a good listener." Matt clears his throat and Tasha jumps. "I-I'm sorry."

"Oh no, it's fine. You know I used to catch Kris out here like this when she first got here. Only she was talking with his dad-"

"Wildfire." Tasha smiles and so does Matt.

"Yeah. You do remind me of her a bit. Sure you're not related?" Matt chuckles.

"So, you really work with horses everyday?"

"Yeah, I do. You interested in horses?"

Tasha shrugs. "I might be."

"Have you ever ridden before?"

"No. I've actually never been this close to a horse before."

"Maybe I can teach you."

"Really?" Tasha's eyes light up and Matt smiles.

"Yeah. It's pretty simple."

"I think I'd like that."

"Then it's settled. We should probably head inside now, though." Matt turns to leave and Tasha follows him out of the barn and inside.

**Kris and Junior's Home; Friday June 6, 2008. 8:20 AM. **

Junior wakes up with his arm around Kris' waist. He leans up a bit and looks at her face and see she's still sleeping. He smiles and kisses her cheek and gets out of bed. He walks into the kitchen and starts a pot of coffee. He then begins to make breakfast.

Kris wakes up to the smell of bacon. She climbs out of bed and walks into the kitchen. She smiles when she finds Junior at the stove. "Smells good."

Junior looks up at her and smiles. "Hey. Good morning sleepy head." He walks over and gives her a kiss.

Kris giggles. She walks over to the coffee pot and pours herself a cup. "So do you have any plans today?"

"Uh, not really. How about you?"

"I'm just gonna head over to Raintree and see how Tasha's doing."

"You really think she's a good kid?"

Kris shrugs. "She just reminds me of me when I was her age. She just needs some guidance, that's all."

Junior smiles. "Well I think you're the perfect person for that."

Kris smiles. "Thank you." She gives him a kiss.

**Danielle Davis Enquine Center; 9:00 AM.**

Dani got into the clinic around 6 o'clock. She had a lot on her mind last night and couldn't really sleep. She's messing around with some papers on her desk that she really isn't reading at all. There's a small knock on her door and she looks up to see Dr. Goldstein.

"Hey, good morning." Dani stands up.

"Good morning." Dr. Goldstein says. "You're here early."

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep much last night."

"Oh. I just checked on Dakota and Stormy. They seem to be doing great. I actually think Stormy might be able to go home tomorrow."

"That's great. I can contact Mrs. Waters and let her know."

"Alright. I should go give Toby his medicine." She walks out of the office.

Dani sinks back into her chair and sighs. Her phone rings and she sees Matt's name pop up. She answers it. "H-Hi Matt."

_"Hey Dani."_

"What's up? Everything ok with Tasha."

_"Yeah, she's fine. You know I actually caught her having a little chat with Flame last night."_

"Really? Wow, I guess she really is a lot like Kris." Dani chuckles.

_"Yeah. I even think she's interested in horse racing."_

"Oh? Well looks like we might have another Kris on our hands. Only this time I actually like her right away."

_Matt laughs. "So. Dani about yesterday."_

Dani sighs. "Matt, I-I don't-"

_"You kissed me."_

"I know."

_"So then, what do you want?"_

"I don't know."

_"Do you love me?"_

Dani was caught of guard by his question. "W-What?"

_"Do you love me?"_

"Matt."

_"Dani, just answer the question. Do you love me?"_

"Y-Yes. But-"

_"But nothing. Dani you know how I feel about you. It's always been you. I love you more than anything and I promise to never hurt you again. Please Dani, just give me one last chance."_

Dani stays silent for a moment. She closes her eyes and sighs. "O-Ok."

_Matt grins. "Really?"_

"Yes. I love you, Matt. And I'm sorry I've been a little distant this past week. I just needed to think about everything. But I do want to be with you."

_"I'm so glad to hear you say that. I love you."_

Dani smiles. "I love you too."

**Raintree Thoroughbred Farm; 12:25 PM.**

Kris arrives at Raintree and finds Tasha in the barn with Flame. She smiles and walks up.

"I see you met Flame."

Tasha looks up. "Y-Yeah."

Kris pets Flame and gives him a kiss. "You know me and Junior actually helped him be born."

"Helped how?"

"Well, he was positioned wrong and Junior had to keep his mother calm while I repositioned his feet. I guess you could say Flame's almost like our baby." She smiles.

"Wow."

"So, you doing ok?"

"Yeah. You all have been so great to me and I really don't deserve it. I mean, I'm just some troubled kid."

Kris shrugs. "Hey, I thought the exact same thing when Pablo wanted to help me. But it turned out to be exactly what I needed."

"So what, you're saying that I'll stop being such a bad kid?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that you remind me of me."

Tasha bites her lip. "Ok. So how come Flame isn't over at your farm?"

"Because I'm not his owner, Matt is. We went searching for Flame after he was sold and we found him at some really bad farm. All the horses were just all skin and bones, it was horrible. The owner of the farm wouldn't sell Flame to us and when we all went back, he was burning the place down. We managed to get all the horses out safe and sound. And because the owner treated them so badly, Matt was able to adopt them all."

"Yeah, we're not so much alike. I'd be terrified to do that."

"I never said I wasn't terrified. I actually almost got pretty hurt. All the horses but Flame were out and there was no way I was leaving Flame so I ran back inside to find him. A board fell from the top of the barn and it almost hit me."

"What happened?"

Kris smiles. "Junior had ran back in and pushed me out of the way. He brought me outside and ran back in and got Flame."

"Whoa. But still, maybe Flame should be with his dad." Tasha shrugs. "I don't know. Guess I just think family should mean something."

"Flame and Wildfire see each other a lot, don't worry."

Tasha smiles and pets Flame's forehead. "Good."

"So I heard Matt's gonna give you riding lessons."

"Yeah. I've actually always wanted to ride horses." She looks at Flame and smiles. "Maybe racing them might even be fun."

"It's the best feeling in the world."

Matt walks in the barn to see Kris and Tasha talking near Flame. "Hey you two."

"Hey Matt." Kris says. "So, you're gonna teach Tasha to ride?"

"Yeah." He turns to Tasha. "You still up for it?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright. Pick a horse."

Tasha looks at Kris then at Flame. She bites her lip and glances around the barn. Kris smiles. "I think she wants to ride Flame."

Matt smiles. "Yeah, I thought she would. I think her and Flame might get that special bond like you and Wildfire have."

Kris smiles and looks at Tasha petting Flame. "I think you're right. So I guess I'll let you guys go."

"Oh hey, I heard your brother's back in town."

"Oh, yeah. He's actually moving here."

"Wow. What made him make that decision."

"Well he said he wants to be closer to me. And his girlfriend."

"I didn't know Jace had a girlfriend out here."

"Oh he does. You actually know her."

"I do?"

"Yup. I'll give you a hint. She's the senator's daughter."

Matt eyes go wide. "Laura?"

"Yup."

"Oh my god. D-Do you think Jace knows your history?"

"I have no idea. Maybe, if she told him."

"Wow. Well if he does, he might hate Junior a little more."

Kris laughs. "Junior said the same thing. And he doesn't really hate Junior, he just didn't really get to meet him in the best way."

"Do you forget what happened the last time Jace showed up?"

Kris rolls her eyes. "So he took Junior's porche for a little joy ride. He brought it back. And like I said, it wasn't the best time for Jace to meet Junior."

"Yeah because he punched you in the face. And fired you."

Kris looks at Tasha's shocked face. "It's a really long story." She turns back to Matt. "Right. Bad timing."

"Well I guess now's good timing."

"Yeah. Alright, well have fun you two." Kris smiles and walks out of the barn.

**Nickelson Mansion; 12:45 PM.**

Laura looks at herself in the mirror and finishes doing her hair. She grabs her lipstick and puts it on. She smiles and heads out and walks downstairs. She's about to grab her purse when her dad walks in the front door, followed by Ken Davis.

"Laura, it's lovely to see you again." Ken says.

Laura smiles. "You too, Mr. Davis. A-And I, uh, heard the news about Junior and-and Kris."

"Oh, yes."

"I actually have to get going, but it was really nice seeing you again." She puts her purse on her shoulder and heads outside to meet Jace. When he pulls up, she smiles and climbs in the car. "Hey." She gives him a quick kiss. "So, my dad wants to meet you, and I told him it would be soon."

"Oh yeah. How soon is soon?"

"I don't know, a week or so?"

"That is soon."

"Do you not want to meet him? Cause you kind of have to at some point."

"Oh it's not that. I just- I never really met a girls parents before."

"It'll be fine."

"You sound pretty sure."

"I am." She smiles and leans over to give him another kiss.

**Danielle Davis Equine Center; 1:15 PM**

Kris walks into the clinic and heads to Dani's office. She knocks on the open door and leans on the doorway as Dani looks up from her desk. "So, you ready to put me back to work?"

Dani stands up and walks towards Kris. "Of course. I'm just so glad to be getting back to business. Things have been so hectic around here lately. Now they can get back to normal. So, how did meeting your brother's girlfriend go yesterday?"

"Well it turns out we've met before."

"You have?"

"Yeah, you met her too."

"I did? Seriously, when?"

"Oh just like a few months back when she almost married your brother."

"Whoa, seriously? A-Are you telling me that your bother is dating Laura?"

"Yeah."

"O-Oh my god. That's insane! So, I mean they're, uh, pretty serious?"

"Let's just say she's the first one of his 'girlfriends' that I ever met. And there's the fact that he's never dated the same girl for more than like a week or two."

"Wow. Small world, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll say. So what do you need me to do?"

"Uh, right now you can see what Dr. Goldstein is doing. Help her out?"

"Ok." Kris turns and starts to walk out of Dani's office, when she reaches the door she turns back around. "Uh, how are things with you and Matt?"

Dani sighs. "I know what you were doing yesterday, you know."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, well it worked."

Kris smiles. "It did, huh?"

Dani chuckles. "Yeah. I decided to give Matt one last try."

"Well, good." Kris smirks and walks out of the office.

* * *

**A/N: _happytobeareader_: sorry I never responded to you, but as you can see the girl was indeed Laura. I thought it'd be a little interesting for her and Jace to be together. (:**

**So it might be another week or so untill the next chapter, but I will try not to make you wait so long. (:**


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